the term is used to indicate vs the term was used to mean

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'The term is used to indicate' is used when referring to the current or general usage of a term, while 'The term was used to mean' is used when talking about the past usage or meaning of a term.

Last updated: March 12, 2024 • 1078 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English when referring to the current or general usage of a term.

"the term is used to indicate"

This phrase is used to explain the current or general meaning of a term. It indicates the purpose or definition of the term in the present context.

Show examples from the web [+]

In Somerset, the local road safety partnership has designated some of the A roads within the county as Red Routes, but in this case the term is used to indicate ...
The term is used to indicate a designation which looks exactly like a scientific name of an organism, and may have originally been intended to be a scientific ...
Often the term is used to indicate an ion that is present in a solution but is not redox active. For example when studying the electrochemistry of ferrocenium ...
While the term upper level (UL) does not appear in the NFP, the term is used to indicate the highest level of daily intake where a nutrient is likely to pose no risk ...

Alternatives:

the term indicates
the term is used to mean
the term is defined as
the term refers to

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English when talking about the past usage or meaning of a term.

"the term was used to mean"

This phrase is used to explain the past meaning or usage of a term. It indicates how the term was interpreted or understood in the past.

Show examples from the web [+]

At the beginning of this century the term was used to mean 'source or origin,' the fundamental or basic level of any thing. This figurative extension of literal grass ...
Originally, the term was used to mean government by a body of priests. Currently, a hierarchy is used to denote any body of individuals arranged or classified ...
The difficulty in understanding the veche is that the term was used to mean any sort of assemblage of people, from a formal legislature or judicial entity to a mob ...
Prior to the enactment of the German wine laws in 1971 the term was used to mean almost any German wine from the Rhine region. Since the laws have gone ...

Alternatives:

the term meant
the term was interpreted as
the term signified
the term denoted

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the term is used to indicate vs the term was used to mean